Meet Shira Scott Astrof | CEO & Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shira Scott Astrof and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shira, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My first rescue as a young child was a sick newborn kitten that I found in the backyard of my house in Long Island, N.Y.  The vets didn’t think he would live, but my family and I bottle fed him and nursed him to good health.  We named him Booties, and he not only became my first pet, but also the inspiration for my animal rescue work. We all started volunteering at local animal shelters and sanctuaries while rescuing animals in need on the streets what felt like almost daily. There was almost always a litter or two we were fostering and finding homes for. When I turned 17, I moved to L.A. to attend college at “The University of Southern California” where I  continued to volunteer with various shelters and rescue groups.  I was fortunate enough to work alongside some of the most fearless and inspiring leaders in the animal welfare community and learned how much work needed to be done. While volunteering and partnering up with these incredible animal rescue groups, I developed so many visions and new goals, that I decided the only way to accomplish them was for me to start my own organization. I named it, “The Animal Rescue Mission”, because it is my MISSION in life to change the world for animals. Great organizations require great people, and I immediately went about aligning myself with dedicated partners who, like myself, had boundless energy, compassion, and true dedication to a mission. All of us are now called around the clock to help animals in need,  whether it’s saving dogs from abusive situations, taking in dogs and cats that were on death row at shelters,  climbing over a fence to save a fawn from a ravine, or traveling to Tijuana, Mexico to rescue dogs from horrific situations.  Our work is generally 24/7 because there is almost always an animal somewhere in desperate need. ARM is also partnered with groups that rescue dogs from the dog meat trade in China and South Korea and bring them to California. ARM is well known in L.A. as the rescue group that takes on the “hard cases” and many of the dogs that other organizations have given up on.  Those seem to be our favorite:) Overall, our work is a mixture of day to day, on the ground rescues as well as community outreach to help educate people, including school children, on the importance of animal compassion, and what they can do to help make a significant impact on making the world a better place for  animals in need.  I whole-heartedly believe that it is our responsibility to always help others in need and that most definitely includes the “four legged others”.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m incredibly proud of the work my team and I have accomplished in the two years since we became operational. One thing that I am really proud of is how we handled the sudden changes that 2020 threw at us by the pandemic.  Many people saw the mandatory quarantine as a time to hunker down at home.  At ARM, we understood the personal risks from COVID, but we decided that while other organizations stopped working, we had to reimagine our mission.  We launched “The ARM Covid-19 Animal Support Program” because we were getting non stop calls from people with pets who were terrified that if they fell ill, their pets would be left alone. There were also many more animals being dumped on the streets due to financial difficulties, people losing their jobs, and all of the shelters being temporarily closed or filled to capacity.  The new program was for anyone who needed help, and if someone got sick they would activate their account and one of ARM’s team members would go to their home to pick up their animal(s), and arrange for a foster to care for them as long as needed. We also brought food and supplies to people experiencing financial hardships due to the pandemic. And lastly, we drove around each day and night picking up animals who were dumped by their owners. I couldn’t have been more proud of ARM’s dedicated and hardworking team of amazing selfless warriors.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give a shout out to my sister rescue partner, Peace 4 Animals, led by the awe-inspiring leader and incredibly beautiful – – inside and outside, Katie Cleary. Katie helped me take ARM to a new level, and continues to support ARM day in and day out. She is my sister, mentor, and partner 🙂  And of course, ARM would not be what it is today without its amazing and dedicated team/family: Joey Tuccio, Kelly Wilson, Kevin Callies and Karl Roberts. These four are just amazing in every way. They work nonstop around the clock, and never say no to an animal in need.   I also want to thank so many other volunteers (too many to mention separately), who have volunteered their time, money, and efforts towards ARM’s critical and essential work.

I guess first and foremost, my passion for helping animals comes from my family. My parents, Sam and Iris Astrof,  run a small food pantry but also remain open for pickups and deliveries (by them) during the pandemic, and for the animals they continually care for;  they  have dedicated their lives to helping others and I am always inspired to do more because of them. Our passion for animals is a family affair, including my becoming vegan at age eleven.  My sister Jessica is a pro-bono animal rights attorney who litigated animal abuse cases in New York, and who continues daily to advocate for the plight of farm animals. And my sister- in-law who founded a nonprofit called PennPac that provides high quality pro-bono consulting to not-for- profit organizations, and my brother who has always been a major supporter of my work and a source of my strength.   And also, Vanessa Cirani, the amazing animal rights activist on Long Island who lends her vast knowledge about animal health issues to guide ARM with making important medical and training decisions.

It truly takes a village to be successful and ARM is a village of truly exceptional people

Website: www.theanimalrescuemission.org
Instagram: @shirascottastrof @theanimalrescuemission
Twitter: @shiraSastrof
Facebook: Shira Scott Astrof The Animal Rescue Mission
Other:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13uqZUIwJca3jHG_Kbu3S0pLG2mGUeduy?usp=sharing DODO#1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGqmT15LqoA DODO#2: https://youtu.be/YdW29QGDbrE ABC news story: https://abc7.com/animals-foster-pets-covid-19/6124576/ NBC news story: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/animal-rescue-mission-pet-care-covid-19-coronavirus/2343069/

Image Credits
People in the photos not me: Kelly Wilson Claire Schweighofer Joey Tuccio I own all photos